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MANHATTAN -- People can have an impact on university students in many ways. One demonstration of this impact is by supporting scholarships, which help students afford higher education and excel in all facets of college life.

Philip and Mariette Orth knew and understood the value of scholarships. Their $280,000 bequest will help Kansas State University recruit and retain high-achieving students with the establishment of the Philip W. and Mariette C. Orth Wildcat Scholarship.

A longtime resident of Milwaukee, Wis., Philip Orth graduated cum laude from Amherst College, Amherst, Mass., in 1940 with a bachelor of arts, received his master's in business administration from Harvard University Business School in 1942, and completed graduate work at the University of California at Los Angeles. He retired in 1996 as chairman of Ph. Orth Co., Oak Creek, Wis., a 114-year-old family-held bakery and institutional foods processor over which he had presided since 1945. He also served as president of the National Baker Suppliers Association, vice president of the American Society of Bakery Engineers and a member of a U.S. Department of Agriculture special committee in both the Carter and Reagan administrations.

The Orths were married for 66 years and devoted much of their time to community affairs and philanthropic pursuits.

Philip Orth was chairman of the Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, president of the Zoological Society of Milwaukee County, president and district governor of Milwaukee Rotary and director and member of the executive committee of Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital. He also was a trustee of the Milwaukee-based Alverno College and Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, and he received an honorary doctorate from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

Mariette Orth devoted herself to her family, the family business and many charitable and civic causes, including theAmerican Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Heifer International Foundation, Milwaukee Ballet, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Symphony and the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

"The baking industry was very good to the Orth family, and Philip was also very close to Dr. William Hoover, who later worked for Ph. Orth Co. after serving as department head of grain science from 1966-1967 at K-State," said Frederick Muth, Milwaukee, a longtime family friend of the Orths. "K-State is a leader in educating students entering the food industry, and Philip was devoted to investing in their success."

"The Orths' gift will have a tremendous impact on students at K-State," said Pat Bosco, vice president for student life and dean of students at K-State. "Their contribution demonstrates the importance of investing in the success of future generations of K-Staters."

Philanthropic contributions to K-State are coordinated by the Kansas State University Foundation. The foundation staff works with university partners to build lifelong relationships with alumni, friends, faculty, staff and students through involvement and investment in the university.